


The Monster Within

by SassQueen_x



Category: Pretty Little Liars
Genre: Backstory, Drabble, Mental Instability, Orphanage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-13
Updated: 2018-08-13
Packaged: 2019-06-26 18:24:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15668748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SassQueen_x/pseuds/SassQueen_x
Summary: "She was far too young to understand why she was feeling this way, but something in her knew that she didn’t belong here. That she was a long, long ways from home. And it terrified her. When Alex acted out, it was because the weight of that was too much to bear, and she had to let her emotions out in some way." A glimpse into Alex Drake's past and how she became exactly how she is today.





	The Monster Within

Alexandra Lillian Drake hadn’t always been a force to be reckoned with. It was quite the opposite, really. When she was a small baby, she was very happy (when she wasn’t throwing tantrums for no reason, mind you). She was adopted by Gia and Matthew Sampson, who never had a child of their own and was rather excited to bring home their bundle of joy. The couple understood the circumstances with the adoption, well before going through with it. Dr. Cochran ran the family history with the expectant adoptive parents before signing a stack of papers. Mary Drake’s mental instability had worried Gia from the start, however she kept trying to tell herself that maybe all little Alex needed was a loving home, and she would be able to keep the demons away that were--no doubt, inherited through the genes.

It didn’t quite go how they wanted it to, however. Alex was about a year old when things started to go downhill. She would throw terrible tantrums for reasons unknown. And these weren’t just normal toddler tantrums, either. The little girl would throw things and scream in such a high pitch that would compare to a banshee. There was nothing wrong with her in these moments. Her diaper was always dry. She was fed every so many hours that she was supposed to be. The toddler would make such a fuss that even the neighbors would complain. However, there was just absolutely _nothing_ that could be done to calm her down. Picking her up to try and console her only made things worse. Alex would gnaw on the closest body part she could get to until she was put down and then continued on shrieking. There was something about the look in her eyes that made even the toughest men tremble. She had a feral look in her eyes, and this scared the Sampson family to no end.

What they didn’t know was that there was a war raging on within Alex. From a very young age, her tantrums would start by a simple trigger. Certain smells would set her off. Certain emotions she could feel from her parents. She was far too young to understand why she was feeling this way, but something in her knew that she didn’t belong here. That she was a long, long ways from home. And it terrified her. When Alex acted out, it was because the weight of that was too much to bear, and she had to let her emotions out in some way. After another year of putting up with this, Matthew finally voiced his opinion. He had had enough of the tantrums. From then on, this would cause a strain in his marriage, as Gia loved their daughter and couldn’t stand the thought of just throwing her away when she obviously needed help. In the end, not even the love she had for Alex mattered. The Sampson family was one of a popular status, and when word got around that their daughter acted like she was born in the woods during her darkest hours, their reputation was at stake. Matthew and a very tearful Gia dropped almost three-year-old Alex at an Orphanage far from their house, almost a two hour drive away. Her most recent surname was revoked to keep from being linked back to this family ever again.

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Now nearing the age of seven, Alex was wiser than ever. She hung on to every hushed whisper of the Orphanage workers as they came in to check on her during the night when they thought she was sleeping. When she was first brought to the facility, she remembered clinging to her mother for dear life. Gia _told_ her that she would come back for her, and she was sorry. Why did her mom lie to her? She never visited, never called. It was like they vanished off the face of the Earth. Or maybe it was her who vanished. Maybe she failed them, and that’s why they left her.

“Miss Alex, it’s time for your medicine,” came from behind the child. She spun around to face one of the nicer caretakers, Melanie. She was an older woman who was both round and short-statured. Her graying brown hair hung up in a tight ponytail swished back and forth as she moved closer to Alex, the warm smile on her face putting the little girl a bit more at ease.

Alex was on a low dose of anti-depressants in hopes to help battle her mood swings. They kept her sated, for a little while. Every now and again she would have mood swings, mostly when provoked by the other children. With the medication in her bloodstream, her lashings weren’t nearly as severe as they were when she was younger. The brunette child gave a small nod, holding her open-palmed hand out to take the pills from Melanie. She was currently sitting on her bed her legs in the butterfly position, using her free hand to put the book she was engrossed in down for the moment. Once the medication was dropped into her hand, she reached for the cup of water she always had by her bedside table and guzzled it down, wiping the excess droplets of water off with the sleeve of her pajama top.

Melanie then sat down next to the child, a hand coming to rest on Alex’s closest knee to her. Kind blue eyes searched her brown ones for a moment or two before she spoke again.

“How are you feeling today, Lex? Maybe you could put the book down and join us in the art room today? We’re making papier-mâché,” the last of her words came out in a sing-song, which prompted a polite smile to cross the child’s thin lips.

“No thanks, I’m just getting to the really good part of my book. I can finish it by tonight if I keep on!” Brown eyes darted to the book that sat next to her, lighting up with a rare passion that one was lucky to see. The smallest things would excite her. She could talk for hours about something that lit up her world, such as books, or stories she overheard. However, there was always a nagging feeling in the back of her mind that quickly shut her up. Because who really wanted to listen to her? None of the kids she lived with cared, so why would any of the adults? The light in her eyes quickly faded, and her smile turned into a grimace once more.

Melanie sighed a little at the quick reaction. “Well. Just remember to put your book down so you don’t miss a meal. You cannot have an empty stomach with your medication.” She paused, placing a chaste kiss on the top of Alex’s wavy head of hair. Out of all of the children, she had the most hope for her to really do something amazing with her life. All she had to do was believe in herself.

Alex peered up at the closest thing to a motherly-figure she had as she exited the room. She gave the slightest shrug of her shoulders and went back to her book. It was a murder-mystery novel—one of her favorite genres. The brunette did a lot of reading. It kept her mind occupied. Having another realm to jump into and not having to worry about her own was nice. It was a safe place for her. There was no need to worry about why her parents left her, why none of the kids here really liked her, and why she felt like she just didn’t belong.

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Time seemed to drag on and on here, and it just made Alex all the more restless. The child grew tired of living in a fantasy world, and sought after a better life for herself. She wanted out of here, becoming bored of these walls that just seemed to cave deeper day in and day out. The brunette went from reading for fun to sneaking out of her bed at night to go snooping around. She would lock herself in the room where the computers were kept and do heavy research on what it would take for her to get out of here and just live out on her own. And, eventually, it would get her somewhere.

 


End file.
